By Tom Weber, KWMU
St. Louis – Crews started digging in the McRee Town neighborhood in south St. Louis City Monday morning.
More than 150 new homes will be built in the area that was once one of the City's highest-crime spots.
It has also recently seen dozens of vacant homes torched by arsonists.
But Rick Sullivan, with McBride & Sons Homes says he's not worried.
"When people leave here today and construction starts, we will fence the construction sites," Sullivan said. "We've arranged for security. We're not concerned at this point. We'll deal with it when it happens; we have thefts on construction sites throughout the area."
More than a hundred families are being relocated by the project.
The new homes will cover 14 city blocks that lie north of the Missouri Botanical Garden and south of SLU Hospital.